Unsuitable Love
by LassieLowrider
Summary: Hours before her wedding, Rapunzel reflects on recent choices and the only man she'll ever love. Rated T to be safe.


**My very first Tangled-story! **

**Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

It was with tears in her eyes she saw him leave, holding Maximus's reins and Pascal on his shoulder, never looking back, and it was with tears in her eyes she now studied herself in the mirror. She was to be married in twenty hours, married to a man she didn't love, all because she was afraid to fight for what, for _who_ she wanted.

She should have, she knows that now, but then she had just gotten her real parents back and were just learning how to be the Princess of Corona – and it's not befitting of a Princess to marry a common bandit, no matter if he saved her or not. Her father sent him away, and he never even protested. But then again, neither did she. All he had done was ask Maximus and Pascal whether they wanted to stay at the royal palace or join him. Even Pascal, her friend since childhood, had just looked at her sorrowfully and then joined him.

Eugene Fitzherbert. Flynn Rider. Petty thief, conman, hero. Love of her life.

Rapunzel could, at least to herself, admit that she was a coward, and that not fighting for her love, for Eugene, was the biggest mistake she'd ever made – would ever make, in fact. Three months had passed since he walked out of the palace, out of the city and out of her life without a backwards glance.

As the door opened and closed behind her, she raised her eyes to meet those of her mother in the mirror.

"How are you, darling?" Her mother's voice was soft, and her expression loving, but not even her presence could make Rapunzel feel at ease this time. Rapunzel sighed and looked away from the mirror.

"How should I feel, mother? Tomorrow I am to marry an arrogant man I don't love, while the man I love with all that I am is banished on orders of the King, my own father." She stood and turned around, the melancholy replaced by sheer anger. "How am I supposed to feel? I'll tell you how I am feeling; regretful, and wishing nothing more than to be able to turn back time and go with him. For that man, that _bandit_, is my hero, my rescuer, and the only man I'll ever love."

The Queen embraced her daughter, grieving with her, for she had done what she could to persuade the King otherwise, but she had been only partly successful – she'd convinced him to not hang the saviour of their daughter, only banish him. As mother and daughter wept together for a love lost, neither noticed a small part of the windowsill shift colours and slowly leave the room.

Pascal quickly and efficiently moved over the walls of the palace towards the roof over the ball room, the lowest part of the palace. He dropped the last few feet, landing neatly in the calloused palm of Flynn Rider. He raised his hand enough to look Pascal in the eyes, and the man and lizard seemed to communicate without sounds.

"Good," Flynn hummed, and let Pascal take his customary place on his shoulder.

Eighteen hours left until her wedding, and an hour since her mother left her alone with her thoughts and tears. It was late, but considering it being summer it never got completely dark, the night seemed to simply be caught in a permanent state of dusk.

She startled a little when she heard a scratching sound, but didn't think much of it, just reminding herself to tell the workers in the palace that the rats were back. However, she realized it wasn't rats when a dark shape heaved itself unto her balcony. She grabbed a heavy candlestick from her vanity before starting to back in the direction of the door.

She stopped abruptly when the shape moved into the light. Clad in his typical shirt and vest, the trousers tucked into soft-looking leather boots and a sash tied around his hips, Flynn Rider was moving closer and closer, in the end crowding Rapunzel against the door.

Rapunzel was too shocked to say anything at first, busy with staring into his eyes and trying to convince herself that he was real, that the arms caging her was real, and that the emotion she saw lurking in his eyes was real. He seemed to come to a decision before she recovered enough to speak, and kissed her.

Her lips was as soft as he remembered, and he was as good as kissing as she remembered. He licked at her bottom lip, slow, teasing licks interspersed with tiny nips, and she let him deepen the kiss. She wound her arms around his neck and his hands came to rest on the swell of her hips, their tongues battling for dominance, a battle he easily won. She submitted happily, could in fact already feel the slow, coiling tension of her arousal in her stomach, could feel his against her stomach, could feel his fingers tightening on her hips, maybe tight enough to leave bruises.

He broke the kiss, breathing hard, and they stood there for a while, forehead to forehead, bodies as close as possible while wearing clothing, just looking into each other's eyes.

"Take me with you."

"Come with me?" They spoke at the same time, but got the gist of what the other was trying to say. Flynn kissed her again, a short, hard kiss, and she melted into his arms.

"Let me just change and write a note." He looked at her questioningly, and she raised an eyebrow back. "Well, I'm not leaving while wearing night clothes, and I'm not leaving without telling them why and where I'm going."

It was with a lot of giggling, kisses and rather useless shushing noises that they gathered what she wanted to bring and wrote a note, leaving it, along with her engagement ring, on her pillow. They, she dressed in a light purple dress and carrying a satchel, he with a firm grip around her waist, slowly slid down the rope he had left hanging from the balcony. Well down on the court yard, they quickly made their way to where he had left Max and Pascal, and without a backwards glance they left, this time none of them crying.

The next morning, when the Queen entered her daughter's bedroom to wake her up in time for the wedding preparations, she found only a note and an engagement ring.

_Followed my heart and left to marry Flynn._

_-Rapunzel, Princess of Corona._

* * *

**Not that long, but I hope you like it!**

**May be persuaded to continue this. Maybe.**

**Signing out, Skugga.**


End file.
